Storyteller's Death

By Ann Dávila Cardinal

Book Overview

International Latino Book Award Gold Medal Winner

"A beautiful book about family, memories, and the power of stories." --BuzzFeed

"Mystical, masterful storytelling." --Ms. Magazine

A gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.

There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family's house when Isla was a child...

Isla Larsen Sanchez's life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.

When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family's cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.

At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1728250773
• ISBN13: 9781728250779
• Release Date: October 2022
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

This was SO good!

“The Storyteller’s Death” by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a great story of life, mystery, and family secrets. Isla enjoys spending her summers in the land of her mother, Puerto Rico, hearing the stories told by family members and spending time with her great-aunt, who tends to be more of a mother to her than her own mother. After Isla turns 18, she learns of a gift she possesses which helps her feel closer to family members until it seems this gift puts her in harms way—including in the path of several bullets. She soon discovers she needs to uncover the truth about the gift and the secrets her family has worked hard to bury before it ruins her life or worse. Racism and class issues are handled well while managing to add to the story instead of take away from them. Isla is a person you want to root for as well, which is refreshing after some of my recent reads. While I felt the mystery and some supporting details were pretty easy to figure out, it held my attention and kept me coming back, and is easily 5 stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️